accord same spec level as city, still worth it?

Accord has the luxury and big car feel... the drive will do the talking.. and 5 yrs down the road accord still rock solid n holds good second hand value.. my 2 cents

The mind create the luxury for Accord, actually is nothing special also.

This Kia has a real proper suspension system as reviewed.

Auto-leveling HID xenon headlamps

LED-daytime running lights

Leather interior, a supervision cluster and a multifunction four-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters and controls for audio, ECO-driving, auto cruise-control. There’s also a six-CD changer audio system with an eight-speaker (not seven, as speculated) Infinity speaker system, replete with Aux, iPod and USB connectivity.

dual-zone auto air-conditioning, full-width three-piece panoramic glass sunroof, push-button start/stop, illuminated door scuff plates and USB connectivity, as well as a tailgate-mounted reversing safety camera with interior mirror LCD display monitor.

The driver gets an 8-way electronically-controlled seat with an integrated memory seat function, which retains settings for two drivers based on their seating position. In terms of safety, the car comes equipped with six airbags (dual front, front side and full length-curtain) and an electronic stability programme incorporating ABS, EBD, TCS, brake assist and hill-start assist control.

It also wears HPD (high performance dampers) as part of its suspension setup

Bloody amazing spec list, impossible the japs will match HALF the specs for 10k more money

This post has been edited by rcracer: Dec 27 2011, 11:34 PM

The brochure stats ABS, EBD, CBC, BAS, TCS & HAC. What's CBC & BAS?

frankly speaking, will you really spend RM145k on KIA, even you know with that price you can buy camry or accord..
T and H give premium feels because of goodwill, but KIA doesn;t.
Pay peanut get peanut
in this case for kia, pay premium get peanut..

2012 mostly likely camry 2012 will come in, the current camry is 5 yr old model, sooner will become 6 yr old model, this is unfair to compare about. But what i know, T and H is stil kicking and solid after 7-8yr, yet kia stil unknown since it's stil new..

Will u actually risk your hard earn money only pressurize you for few years, then gv you headache after that..?
forte is good for money, but for optima i don think it is yes..

Japs are so full of shit with their interiors with hard plastics, they are dying in europe, NOBODY is buying jap cars.

KIA were the firsts to offer 5 years warranties on their cars, sealed for life gearboxes.

Toyota and Honda totally failed in producing a decent diesel engine, while the KIA and Hyundai came up with German beating R diesels.

They can give an Infinity audio system, panaromic glass roof.

I think it's damn clear, the japs are the ones giving peanuts for premium

Well i must agree although im a Toyota fan for many years. The Japs need a kick up their ass and the Koreans are giving them that. Just look at the disappointing designs coming out of Toyota & Honda these days. The 2012 Honda Civic was voted Most Disappointing car with poor marks for quality while the upcoming Camry is a step back in terms of design. Looks more like a facelift in fact.

But im keeping my fingers crossed that the Malaysian Camry due in May 2012 will have much better specs, transmission and engine.

Just for your easy reference, ive listed down the specs and features of the Optima:

RM 143,888 (OTR) with 5 year unlimited mileage manufacturer warranty. Specifications:

1) Theta II 2.0L MPI engine with 165HP and 198 Nm torque (Camry 2.0L is 147HP and 190Nm torque)
2) 6 speed automatic Dual CVVT with paddle shifters and Eco mode
3) HID Xenon headlights with Auto Leveling & Static Bending Lights
4) Daytime LED running lights (DRL)
5) Rear LED lights and LED side turn signal lights
6) Auto Light Control System with Escort Lights and washers
7) Electric foldable side mirrors
8) 6 airbags (front, side & curtain airbags)
9) Anti Lock Braking System (ABS)
11) Electronic Brakeforce Distribution System (EBD)
12) Traction Control System (TCS)
13) Hill Assist Control (HAC)
14) Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
15) Brake Assist System (BAS)
16) Rear Parking Assist System with rear camera
17) Speed Sensing Auto door lock
18) Impact Sensing Auto door unlock
19) Auto Cruise Control
20) 18 inch sporty alloy wheels with full disk brakes and full spare alloy wheel
21) MacPherson type suspension with Gas shock absorbers with High Performance Dampers (HPD) with sliding valve
22) Infinity Surround Sound system with 8 speakers & subwoofer
23) 6 in dash CD changer system with Bluetooth, AUX, USB & iPOD connectivity
24) Dual zone auto air con with rear air con vents
25) 8 way power seat (driver) with memory function
26) Push Start ignition with Smart Key
27) 3.5” Color TFT LCD display
28) Premium Leather seats
29) Panoramic Electric Sunroof
30) First Korean car with 5 Star NHTSA rating from America

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 28 2011, 03:41 PM

If buying car is all about specs per dollar.... then who would buy German/Italian etc? Everyone will buy Korean/Japs.

Image, 2nd hand value, feelgood factor, perception, etc all play an integral part of the decision making process.

Sadly... no matter the specs.. Kia is currently near the bottom of the ladder brand wise.

This post has been edited by MeToo: Dec 28 2011, 02:50 AM

hmmm, got time must go test drive the car to see whether is it worth it anot? anyone know when will test drive fleet arrive in JB?

You can already see the specs for the Camry, read Australian websites.

Current gen Camry & Accord HS is about 10k more expensive and is true that it is unfair to compare to the current models. But if you wanna compare with the new models, do you think the price will maintain the same? I don't think so.

The new gen Camry probably gonna about 5-10k more than the current model and I doubt the spec they offer can be as good as the Optima K5.

if they give the same spec, they will give a ridiculous engine like 2.5 or 3 litre V6 which nobody will buy anyways and the next inline will have half the specs and be 10k more

bro not too sure the aussie camry is what we are getting, this aussie one is like american camry, if so and yes we are getting, then teana may make more sales, cause this camry not uncle enough. too young, malaysian mentality , class d uncle car, except mazda 6, kia optima, even sonata turning into uncle look now since the k5 is out.

another thing, next few years camry is still giving normal NA engine, of course optima is also NA, unfortunately i think the new engines should be small cc with direct injection and assist with turbo and so on. like KERS Hybrid, and what ever, camry still dual VVti, i think no big deal, what i like to see is the improvement in the engine instead of higher CC cars like eco boost, TSi CGi and so on.

This post has been edited by sonyman: Dec 28 2011, 09:12 AM

It doesn't sound markedly different from the sound system in my Forte 2.0 SX. Another Forte owner who happened to be there at the same time also remarked the same thing. Aside from the added subwoofer in the rear parcel shelf, the "Infinity" system was nothing to shout about. Actually, it felt boomy due to the sub (which you can't control separately btw).

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Added on December 28, 2011, 9:51 amLast I heard test drives are only available from March onwards. In the meantime all units (100) will be sold as is (fully CBU)...

Good thing => CBU
Bad thing => Molested by the whole country in showrooms

This post has been edited by gregy: Dec 28 2011, 09:51 AM

Any response to my earlier question on the CBC and BAS for Safety? Its stated on the brochure but what does it mean? Cant be Cornering Brake Control?

Yes i must say the Infinity sound system is no big deal. I dont see what the hype is all about. Sounds basically the same. Is Infinity supposed to be better than JBL? Can somebody provide a ranking list of Top 10 sound systems in the world? This is 1 area im far lacking.

The rear subwoofer on the Optima is located off centre at the back. Any reason for this? Makes the rear arrangement a bit cacat if u ask me. Very noticeable.

Naza hv shot themselves in the foot this time around. 143k for a kia? Come on lah, u koreans are not on par with the japs yet but still price them more exp than a jap? All those specs count for nothing cause any jap maker can include them in their cars but that would mean a price hike.

No matter hw nice a car can look, it still boils down to hw strong ur brand name is, and at the moment, kia is only on par with china brands.

CBC is also on kia forte, yes cornering brake control. sounds like f1

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Added on December 28, 2011, 10:54 amone thing korean is no match for japs car is.....

handling.

japanese car's handling differs from conti, but, they are not weak either.

through various performance variant of cars like Civic Type R, nissan skyline, lancer evo, mazda RX7/8, impreza sti, the jap car makers has acquired the know-how in car handling and chassis tuning.

For this, korean still has a very very long way to go.

This post has been edited by turbocharged: Dec 28 2011, 10:54 AM

Bro, it is expensive but not more expensive than a jap yet.